Japan Allows Military to Fight for the First Time Since WW2

– Japan Allows Military to Fight for the First Time Since WW2 (The Daily Sheeple, July 18, 2015):

When the United States defeated Japan at the end of World War Two, they pretty much made the island nation their own little colony. They occupied the country, built military bases on their sovereign territory, and influenced the drafting of their postwar constitution. More importantly, the Japanese relinquished their right to wage war due to Article 9 of their constitution, and handed over the defense of their nation to the United States. The English translation of that article reads:

ARTICLE 9. Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.

(2) To accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

That article has been hotly debated and reinterpreted ever since. To date, the only defenses that Japan maintains for itself is the Japan Self-Defense Force, which has been upheld by Japanese courts on the grounds that it is actually an extension of the National Police Force.

Still, it’s widely considered to be a neutered military force that lacks the ability to exert any kind of control beyond the nation’s borders. Since World War Two, the Japanese have fostered a fiercely anti-militaristic attitude, and for the most part, have shunned the idea of rebuilding their former military prowess. However, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has defied the convictions shared by most Japanese citizens, and has been pushing legislation that would make unprecedented changes to Japan’s military policy.

TOKYO — Defying broad public opposition and large demonstrations, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a crucial vote in Parliament on Thursday for legislation that would give Japan’s military limited powers to fight in foreign conflicts for the first time since World War II.

Mr. Abe’s party and its allies in the lower house of Parliament approved the package of 11 security-related bills after opposition lawmakers walked out in protest and as demonstrators chanted noisily outside, despite a gathering typhoon. The upper chamber, which Mr. Abe’s coalition also controls, is all but certain to endorse the legislation as well.

The vote was the culmination of months of contentious debate in a society that has long embraced pacifism to atone for wartime aggression. It was a significant victory for Mr. Abe, a conservative politician who has devoted his career to moving Japan beyond guilt over its militarist past and toward his vision of a “normal country” with a larger role in global affairs.

As for why the Japanese government is moving in this direction, look no further than the United States Government. Even Japan’s limited military force was created at the behest of our government following World War Two. We needed another military ally to counter China, and we encouraged them to create a defense force. I suspect that some of the same motivations are at play here.

Earlier this week, US Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno spoke about the dire situation the US military is in. With the staffing cuts our military has faced in recent years, coupled with the rising belligerence of the numerous enemies we’ve made over the years, our armed forces are stretched very thin across the world. We currently have long term commitments to protect Eastern Europe, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and many others. And now we have ISIS to deal with (who we trained and funded by the way) who he claims will take 10 to 20 years to defeat.  “At some point we’re going to have to say what we’re not going to do because we’re not going to be able to do everything we’re being asked to do right now.”

In other words, we don’t have what it takes anymore. America’s power is waning a little bit more every year. We don’t have the money, the influence, or the military prowess to police the world. Japan knows that, and I don’t think anybody really believes that the US could protect Japan from China without using nuclear weapons. We’ve given them some lovely promises to protect their homeland, but they know that in reality, they’re naked in the wind. They’re going to have to defend themselves in the 21st century, and it looks like they’re finally making preparations for that eventuality.

Other than being a major change to Japan’s military policy, this legislation is also a sign of the times. It’s a harbinger of doom for America’s global empire. If the world’s third largest economy doesn’t trust the US to protect them, who else will?